California Sued Over School Antisemitism

Two Jewish advocacy groups, Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Law and StandWithUs, have filed a lawsuit against the state of United States===California, its Department of Education, and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond. The lawsuit alleges that United States===California has failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from pervasive antisemitic harassment in K-12 public schools across the state. It cites numerous incidents in districts like United States===Los Angeles Unified School District, United States===Berkeley Unified School District, and United States===Oakland Unified School District, including antisemitic curricula, verbal abuse, and physical assaults. The plaintiffs seek court orders to mandate monitoring of antisemitism, eliminate hostile curricula, implement antisemitism training for staff, and limit funding for noncompliant schools. This legal action follows a rise in anti-Jewish hate crimes in United States===California, particularly after the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, and comes despite recent legislative efforts by United States===California to address antisemitism in schools.